Intentional Communities Springing Up In Rochester

The ideology of having an Intentional Community is a unique opportunity to get to know your neighbors and work towards a common cause. This collaborative effort by a small group of citizens in the Beechwood neighborhood has been quietly successful. Circumstances such as developing community kinships and fellowships is a largely successful model for individual and familial support. It is well known and documented that supportive communities are extremely socially beneficial.

This is not a novice concept however, and has been done for decades in some communities. The Great Migration took place from approximately 1915 to 1970. During this time period over 6 million African Americans moved from the segregated southern United States to northern cities for more economic and desegregated opportunities within the manufacturing industries. While settling in, families from the same neighborhoods would relocate to the same cities. This ensured that there would continue to be a common culture of support in areas such as social justice, religious worship, child rearing, and fiscally. As the manufacturing industry has declined so has these Intentional Communities, as the descendants of these individuals disbursed for economic opportunities elsewhere around the country.

I would love to see this concept applied today throughout the poverty stricken urban areas in Rochester. Just think of the potential if applied to families that could use additional supports!